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A Daily Word - Nov. 24, 2010

2017Nov 24

COMMENTS

PLEASURE-SEEKING MYTHS

Joy Davidman, wife of C. S. Lewis, had this to say about pleasure-seeking as a vocation: "Living for his own pleasure is the least pleasurable thing a man can do. If his neighbors don't kill him in disgust, he will die slowly of boredom and powerlessness." We live in a culture that enables pleasure-seeking. Are you a teenager who is curious about sex? Your school nurse's office has free condoms just waiting for you. Interested in a non-committal arrangement where you "try on" a potential mate like a pair of shoes? By all means, our society would say, "live together." Would you like to experience the sensation of free-falling through life? There are legal and illegal substances available to assist you in your descent.

But I believe there are two big lies or myths related to the pursuit of pleasure. Christians tend to tell one; non-Christians espouse the other. Both are untrue. In an effort to curb what they view as harmful and ungodly behavior, some Christians have tried to convince the world that sin is not pleasurable. But sin is pleasurable…at least for a while. Otherwise, what would the temptation be? But sin's pleasures are temporary, and sin's consequences are inevitable. This fact contradicts the second big myth about pleasure-seeking: that as long as you do not intentionally hurt another person, whatever you choose to do with your body and your life is fine. But God's Word clearly states that sin is a death sentence, although its consequences may not be immediate.

So if sin is pleasurable (at least temporarily), and its consequences can be delayed, why not live for pleasure's sake? Because, as Joy Davidman so eloquently stated, living for pleasure is not really living. It doesn't satisfy the deepest needs of the human heart, and it never will.

MEMORY VERSE

He who loves pleasure will become a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not become rich.